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What a super little pup ..... looks so soft and very cuddly ........ I want one ..... 
Hello,
I would just like to wish everyone a really wonderful new year and I hope that 2013 is a brilliant, bright, healthy and happy time for you all!
I also hope that it goes somewhat s-l-o-w-e-r than the last year did ..... where did it go???
Love and hugs,
Marilyn xx 
Oooh, thank you for sharing that Peter, that was a nice surprise!!
Well done to all the winners, there were some super bears in the show. Special big congratulations to Silvia Gilles too for her lovely bear Misula who was deservedly the overall winner, the bear is gorgeous and was one of my favourites.
The full list of winners can be found at http://www.french-teddy-awards.fr/?page_id=1416
Many thanks to those lovely people who voted for my bears too. xx
Hugs to all,
Marilyn x
Yes Bobbie, things happen all too quickly in the real bear world!! It seems as though the young cubs or should I say yearlings are soon out on their own, fending for themselves but some have rather beautifully hooked up with other youngsters from other families this year and have been seen playing together and interacting. Just wish everything would s-l-o-w d-o-w-n!!
Hugs,
Marilyn x
Huge congratulations to you Francy and also to all of the other winners! The entries are amazing!
Hugs
Marilyn x
I'm pleased you are looking in again at the bears Bobbie!
Since the huge upset last year of losing Hope, I still continued to log in every day to read the updates. It was quite a difficult thing to do at first, particularly when reading everyone's comments while venting their frustrations and sadness. But I am pleased I did, it certainly helped with the "healing process" I think and I also thought it would help Lyn, Sue and everyone concerned, give them the support that they so desperately needed at the time. They are such fantastic people. This year has been so busy for them and reading their daily updates has shown they have tremendous endurance and stamina!!
Keeping "contact" virtually daily has been a little like looking after someone's pets, checking in to see that all is well. I will be so relieved though when the 14th October has passed as the hunting season will end then. All of us "followers" have been brilliantly informed this year about the daily life of the research bears and the ups and downs the research team have experienced with authorities, regulations etc. It will be interesting when all the bears have decided upon their Winter "apartments" but then comes all the excitement (again!) when we wonder and wait for the sound of those gorgeous nursing sounds ... The years are going by way too quickly ....
Hugs to all happy followers,
Marilyn xx
Wish I could use a magic wand and make everything come together for you Dawn. You have tried so very hard to raise the necessary money for such a wonderful and very worthwhile project so I sincerely hope that money comes whooshing in for you, especially with such lovely bears still for sale.
Wishing you and Chris a wonderful trek and hope the weather is kind to you! All that hill walking will finally pay off!!!
And just think of those beautiful bears waiting to greet you at the end .......... priceless!
Hugs,
Marilyn xx
Such a lovely photo, with one of my favourite breeds of cat plus a lovely bear!
What a gorgeous selection of beautiful creations! Many congratulations to you, very well deserved!
Hugs
Marilyn x
So sweet ... I love to see photos of cats and dogs together
Aawww, could take this little one home immediately! .....
Aaw, thank you Sue, I will give them a tinkle tomorrow to check on a couple of things.
Hugs,
Marilyn x
Oooh, I can certainly relate to this, as I take way too much time thinking about a bear's finishing touches. My first problem is usually deciding upon a name which suits the bear and sometimes I may have a choice of several names for a particular bear and take ages before eventually coming to a decision. But even that may not be the final word on the matter!!
As far as the finishing touches are concerned, if I am lucky then I may know of just the right accessory/neckwear which will compliment the bear's "personality" (in my mind anyway!!) but there are too many occasions when I play around for days trying different ribbons/laces/collars/whatever and keep changing things until I am happy. Normally I will still end up buying even more items which I think may be "just the thing!" but then go back and decide on something which I had considered days beforehand. Mind you, I am like this with most points on bearmaking and take an age deciding on what mohair to use for a certain bear. I "overthink" too much, and it probably doesn't make any difference to the bear in the end! Ha! 
If I do ever have an idea for a certain accessory to accompany a bear before even taking scissors to mohair, you can bet your bottom dollar that I will have changed my mind before the bears finished!! Is there any hope for me?? 
A lovely little duo!
She's very sweet!
What a lovely little bear, he's gorgeous!
Hi everyone,
This is really a question for UK beary people who sell bears and/or have a business, as I have a question about business insurance/public liability insurance etc.
I obviously have to have the necessary insurances in order to sell my bears to the public via my website, fairs or whatever, and I usually use NMTF (National Market Traders Federation). Their insurance fee for the next year has gone up to £102.
I was wondering if anyone could please recommend an alternative company that they use which still gives the necessary business coverage for our purposes and which is cheaper as I could do without this sum at the moment. Or maybe this figure is good when compared to other companies, I don't know. I did try a comparison site but it ended up being like a minefield!
Many thanks for any help!
Hugs,
Marilyn x
Well Edie, you can ignore my last post!!
I've just managed to get onto their website and there is a message which says:
"The TBAAF Awards were due to begin
on the 15th July, we have just
discovered the voting forms
have been hacked and
destroyed. The voting has been
postponed until further notice... "
Hugs,
Marilyn
Hi Anthony,
I'm absolutely amazed that this is your first attempt at needle felting! Mr. Bunny is fabulous and many thanks for showing us how he was made, that was very interesting. He looks brilliant in his clothes too which make him look very sophisticated!
As said before, you are obviously a "natural" when it comes to producing such lovely work.
Hugs
Marilyn
I shouldn't worry, Edie ....... I'm not getting anything either but that's not unusual as they are probably extremely busy trying to get everything up and ready on the website for their latest event. Such things take a lot of preparation and time, so I am sure everything will be hunky dory very soon!
Hugs to everyone!
Marilyn x
Maybe it would be a good idea to write to the manufacturer/company and ask them. Let them know exactly what it is that you would like to do and ask them if you have "permission" to do this. There may be copyright issues etc but they would be the best people to advise you.
At least you will have the peace of mind knowing that you have approached the task in the right manner and have not gone ahead before getting an answer. Let us know how you get on!
Good luck.
Marilyn
How lovely to see that this discussion has already encouraged a previous TT member to return to this happy little family, so I say
"Welcome back MaryAnn"! It was a shame that you had to leave for a while, but maybe now would be a lovely time for you to help us bring back the "good old days"!! 
Plus everyone would love to hear about you and your bears too!
Hugs to everyone,
Marilyn x
Just had to add ..... I just noted that there are now 32 "visitors" to TT plus two of us who have signed in. Come on everyone, sign in and say "hello"!!!
